Monday 27 June 2016

Be consistent when naming your social media accounts


In this digital world we live in, more and more users are creating Facebook pages, Youtube accounts, Instagram profiles etc etc and it's getting harder and harder to secure the name you want for your organisation. I know I had that trouble when I wanted to start up Arrow Social Media.

I had so many other names picked but either the website was already taken or the Facebook page was already gone. If you want to get a website and social media accounts to be present in the online world and get known, it's best to grab all the social media accounts available with your band/business name, whether or not you're ready to use them or not.

You can't dictate which social media platform is going to be a favourite among your customers so it's best to create an account in each. As that particular social media account gains momentum, you'll be able to spend more time posting on it and set up automated updates to the other accounts. For example, by updating regularly on your organisations's Facebook page, you can set an automatic link to a Twitter account.

There are many automatic schedulers out there, some free and some for a small charge where you can schedule a number of updates to be posted at various times of the day. If you concentrate on the social media account that is getting the most interaction, that is, you've created a tightly knit fan base, set up automatic updates on the lesser used social media accounts.

Be consistent

No matter which social media account is going to be your favourite, there are customers out there that already have their favourite way of keeping up to date with their favourite pages or businesses. Whether that's via a website, a Facebook page, a Twitter or Instagram account or following a Youtube account, you need to be consistent with your account name so that customers can find you. You should grab these account names as soon as you can because the number of users out in the digital world is in the billions and your name might already be taken. Try to be consistent in the way you name your account so people can find you.

List them everywhere

List all your social media accounts everywhere, for example, on your Facebook page make sure you have your Youtube, Twitter, website, etc etc accounts so people can find you in the one spot. It is a great way for you to gain more followers. For example, if a fan prefers to use Twitter make sure you have a link in your Twitter profile to all your social media accounts.

Website

As at March 2016, there were over 1 billion websites worldwide. That's a huge number and if you want a piece of that action, there might be a slim chance your company name is still available.

Whether you decide to create a website or not, it's best to secure your website or URL name now. I've used GoDaddy.com every time for all the websites I've created. They offer a reasonable price for annual or 2 year or more subscriptions. It is pretty straight forward to first check if your name (or a suitable alternative) is available. Just make the payment, record the account number and sign on details in a safe place for future reference. If you need assistance with this process, I am more than happy to help. Contact me for further information.

Facebook

As at April 2016, there were 1.65 billion active monthly Facebook users. That is a huge audience too big to ignore. If you want to grab a piece of the action, get yourself a Facebook page, not a personal account.  Facebook page 'likes' spread like wildfire if you update your page regularly, your information is current and up to date and you link to other social media accounts. If you would like further information regarding assistance getting your organisation's Facebook page up to speed, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Twitter

As at August 2015, there was 1.3 billion registered Twitter accounts with over 100 million daily active users. Even if you don't spend a lot of time on Twitter, it's imperative that you create a Twitter account. Many people do use it and can group together similar accounts like their favourite celebrities or companies and add it to a 'list'. They'll be watching for updates. You can create a great community of like minded people or a large fan base on Twitter so it can't be ignored.

Instagram

As the name dictates, it's pretty much a place where instant updates are shared. This is a social media account where you can get up close and personal with fans. Sharing live photos of your business as they happen is a great way for potential customers to know the sort of job you're doing. As at June 2016 there were 300 million active users on Instagram. You'd be crazy not to get a part of that action as well. You can link your Instagram account up to your Facebook and Twitter accounts to update automatically.

Youtube

According to Youtube statistics, it has over 1 billion users and everyday people of all ages watch hundreds of hours of video daily.  Grab that account as soon as you can.

The same rules apply to all the other social media accounts that are out there but I've found the above are probably the more commonly used ones. If you have any queries whatsoever on any of this information, I am able to help. Please get in touch if you need a hand. I'm only too happy to help.

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